Porcelain in Japan’s Imperial Convents—Identity and Connection
Thursday, April 3, 6:30PM-7:00PM (ET)
Gardiner Museum (111 Queen’s Park) | Ticket Prices Vary | Registration Not Required
Speaker: Dr. Mary Redfern, Curator, Japan, Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A)
The exquisite porcelains made in Arita, Japan, graced the tables of palaces across Europe, as well as the courts of both shogun and emperor. The networks these objects sustained spread further still. The temples of Nara and Kyoto include thirteen ‘imperial convents’ (amamonzeki). Historically home to nuns from imperial, aristocratic, or shogunal families, the collections these convents preserve possess unique insights for the study of court culture and gender in Japan. While export wares and Nabeshima presentation pieces are familiar in collections worldwide, ceramics made as imperial tableware are less well known.
Focusing on the collections of Reikanji temple in Kyoto’s Higashiyama district, this talk will examine items of porcelain tableware created for the use of its nuns, and the identities and relationships these objects embody. Reikanji was established in 1655 and opens its gates during the camellia season when its elegant gardens come into bloom.
